Jamaican farm workers removed due to deplorable conditions

Since the beginning of the year, Jamaican farm workers in Canada have been pulled from four farms due to unfavorable working conditions.

According to Kenneth Phillips, chief liaison officer at the Jamaica Liaison Service (JLS) in Canada, the decision was made to cut ties with the four farms due to poor living conditions, verbal abuse, insufficient working hours, and overall poor treatment of the workers.

Following visits by liaison officers and discussions with his team, he said, all of the workers were removed and placed on new farms within days.

According to Phillips, prior to COVID, the JLS approved living arrangements for the workers; however, due to the pandemic, liaison officers were unable to visit the farms because visits were prohibited due to the virus.

Phillips noted that once the liaison officers resumed visits to the farms, they realized that all was not as it should be.

He disclosed that this year when visitation resumed, an officer found that the workers were not in the approved accommodations, and the new bunkhouses did not meet the necessary standards.

Phillips noted that within three days, workers were removed and were given new employment, and also noted that there have been instances where the JLS has pointed out poor conditions to farm operators, and the problems have been resolved quickly.

Phillips insists that the liaison service, based in Toronto, oversees the welfare of all workers under the program.

He said the JLS, which was established in 1966 under an agreement with the Federal Government of Canada and Jamaica, is responsible for administering the Seasonal Agricultural Programme on behalf of the Jamaican Government.

In recent weeks, the farm work program in Canada has been at the forefront of national debate, with allegations from some Jamaican farm workers that they are placed in deplorable and inhumane conditions on farms with no way to air their grievances and receive assistance.

Initially, Minister of Labour and Social Security Karl Samuda claimed that during a recent visit to Canada, he saw no evidence to support the disgruntled farm workers’ claims.

Due to growing concerns, the minister then appointed a special fact-finding team to investigate the working conditions of Jamaican workers.

No details have been released on when the selected team will travel to Canada.